


Princess Cake

by JMSA



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Mentioned Golden Deer Students (Fire Emblem), Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), no really i have no idea what this ship is called in english, レトリシ
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-12-28 18:02:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21140894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JMSA/pseuds/JMSA
Summary: At the king and queen’s behest, a meandering mercenary visits Derdriu to help bake a cake to remember for the princess’ upcoming birthday. However, the three find themselves in for more than they anticipated…





	1. Reunion at Derdriu

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [幸せなわたしたち](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/529241) by dual. 

> This story is based off of Byleth and Lysithea’s A/S rank supports and their paired ending from the Verdant Wind route. It also runs off Lysithea and Felix’s A support so cake club with the royal couple can be a thing.
> 
> Needless to say, spoilers below!! You have been warned!!

“…How did I let her rope me into this?” sighed the gruff, blue-haired mercenary, standing at the door to the reception hall armed to the teeth with swords and knives, and… eggs, flour and sugar. As soon as those words left his mouth, the door burst open, revealing a beaming, white-haired woman clad in a prim purple and white dress, and a green-haired man clad in black armor, his smile as bright and warm as a new dawn.

“Felix! It’s been too long!”  
“We’re glad to have you.”  
“And how good of you to bring the-”

“Look, Your Highnesses, I’m glad to see you’re doing well too. Now, can we get to it already?”

The white-haired woman laughed. “Ever the blunt one, aren’t you, Felix! But that’s exactly what we’ve always liked about you… right, Byleth?”

“Right you are, Lysithea! Now, to see what we can whip up for our little Delia…”

Felix couldn’t help but grin. It only seemed like yesterday when Lysithea, against all odds, got him to not only develop a sweet tooth, but to enjoy coming up with recipes for cake. And in the decade since their old Golden Deer class went their separate ways and he had begun his life as a roaming mercenary, he never stopped enjoying developing recipes, collecting them from those he encountered during his travels, or exchanging them in his correspondences with Lysithea as she worked to restore her native Ordelia and eventually, as queen of the United Kingdom, to build a new, peaceful, prosperous Fódlan. To usher in the continent’s new dawn alongside Byleth.

And it was those correspondences that brought Felix to the capital city of Derdriu to meet with the king and queen for the first time since the war’s end, to help them bake a special cake for the princess’ fourth birthday. Rulers or sellswords, none of that mattered today—now was a precious opportunity for the three to set aside their hard work and burdens, and work their sweet teeth and baking chops.

“This’ll be one to remember. For Your Highnesses, and for the young princess.”

“Absolutely,” said Byleth. “Together, we can do anything!”

“I quite like the sound of that,” said Lysithea. “Together! Now, here’s what Felix and I had in mind…”

“Hmm,” said Byleth as he read the memos. “Oh! That sounds great! I can handle those, no problem…”


	2. Promises and Teamwork

Lysithea looked up after putting the sponge cake in the oven. “Byleth!”

“They’re done!” said Byleth. “Both the custard and the jam. As for the marzipan…”

“This’ll need some time,” grunted Felix as he kneaded the marzipan. “Luckily, you two got just the man for the job…”

“I have to step out for a bit,” said Byleth. “I won’t be long.”

Byleth didn’t make it ten steps out of the kitchen before a small girl with his green hair and Lysithea’s pink eyes bumped into him. “Ah, Delia!”

Delia looked up to him. “Daddy! Where’s Mommy? I wanted to ask her something!”

“Oh! Mommy is bu-”

“You can go,” said Felix. “I’ll watch the oven!”

“Thank you, Felix,” said Lysithea as she left the kitchen. She kneeled over to talk to Delia. “Well now, sweetie, what did you want to ask Mommy?”

Delia looked straight into her eyes. “Mommy, why is your hair so white? My hair is green like Daddy’s…”

Byleth and Lysithea looked at each other pensively; they knew they would have to field this question from their daughter someday, but today, of all days? It seemed too soon to dredge up such painful memories on what should be such a joyous occasion…

…But Lysithea realized that after recounting that great pain, she could recount great happiness. So she began. “…When I was as small as you are right now, some evil mages performed horrible rituals on me.”

Delia perked up. “Evil mages? Horrible rituals?”

“Because of them, my hair turned white. But that wasn't all. The mages doomed me to die very, very young. It was torture… for me, and for your grandparents to see what happened to me.”

Delia’s eyes widened with shock. “That’s…”

“I thought that I had no future…until that fateful day your father insisted to me that it didn’t have to be that way,” said Lysithea, beckoning to Byleth.

“I couldn’t let your mother accept her fate,” said Byleth. “I promised her that the two of us would work together. That together, we would find a way to save her, no matter what.”

“I can’t tell you how happy it made me to work together with your father,” said Lysithea. “To know that he cared about me so much… that he wouldn’t let me give up on myself… that he worked with me because he wanted me to have a long, full life.”

“And when we finally did it, when we finally saved you, we did it together,” said Byleth.

“Yes,” said Lysithea. “We fulfilled our promise. Together! It’s because I believed in myself, in you, and in our future that I’m here, alive, well, and happy.” She then turned to Delia and ruffled her hair. “And that you can be here today, my dear.”

Byleth couldn’t help but smile as he saw Delia’s eyes brighten up. “Your parents worked together, every step of the way, so that you can be here. We work together every day so that you can live in a world where nobody else will go through what your mother did. And we promise you… it’s because we’re working together with a good friend that you’ll have the best birthday ever!”

“Really?” asked Delia, extending her right pinky to Lysithea. “Promise? Pinky promise?”

Lysithea wrapped her right pinky around her daughter’s. “Yes. Pinky promise, cupcake!”

“HEY!” bellowed Felix. “The sponge cake’s gonna be ready soon! Will Your Highnesses hurry up and get back here already?!”

“Ah!” exclaimed Lysithea. “Thank you for watching, Felix!” With that, Byleth and Lysithea hurried back to the kitchen to finish their daughter’s cake. After that, Delia could hear someone knocking the door. "We're coming in!" Soon, the retired Count and Countess Ordelia entered.

"Oh! Grandpa! Grandma!" Delia ran up to her grandparents. "Your hair is so grey!"

"That it is, darling," said the former Count Ordelia. "And someday, you will have grey hair, just like us," chimed the former Countess Ordelia as she scooped her granddaughter into her arms.

"Really?!" exclaimed Delia, as she took a lock of her grandmother's hair. "Yes, my dear! When you are as old as Grandma and Grandpa are now."

Lysithea looked their way from the kitchen. "Mother! Father! I'm so glad you could make it!"

"But of course," said the former Count Ordelia. "We wouldn't miss our dear granddaughter's birthday for anything in the world!"


	3. The Princess' Cake

Now came the moment of truth as Byleth and Lysithea, with Felix in tow, brought the cake they came up with to the table where their daughter and Lysithea’s parents were patiently waiting. The three could see a layer of green marzipan topped with a pink marzipan flower—a display that mirrored the princess’ hair and eyes. Below that exterior laid neat, scrumptious layers of sponge cake, jam, cream and custard—a reflection of the king and queen’s promise and resolve that saved the queen, that brought the princess into this world, and now, that brought this cake to the table.

“Happy birthday, Delia,” said Byleth. “We hope you love this cake every bit as much as we love you,” said Lysithea. “It was truly a labor of love, and… I hope you appreciate it,” said Felix, as he handed the first slice to Delia.

“Uwah!” exclaimed Delia. “I love you all, too!”

“Now then,” said a blushing Byleth, “dig in!”

With that, Delia carved a spoonful of the cake, a veritable cross section of its layers, and devoured it. Before she knew it, she took another spoonful, and another, and her slice was gone, almost as soon as she had received it.

Watching this, the three bakers were certain what her verdict would be, but it still brought them great joy to hear her shout it out: “I loved it! Really really loved it!”

“Well then, we oughta have some for ourselves,” said Lysithea, already ready with a slice plated up. “Mmm… Yes! It’s veritably heavenly!” Before long, Byleth, Felix, and Lysithea’s parents all dug in, and chimed in to concur. As she saw the other adults at the table digging in, Lysithea remembered the other promise that she and Byleth had made their daughter earlier that day. “Delia! Did Mommy and Daddy keep their promise? Was this your best birthday ever?”

Delia’s parents couldn’t help but smile as she let out a resounding “Yes!”

\----------------------------------- 

“This truly was one to remember,” said Felix after finishing his slice. “Indeed it was,” said Byleth. “Mmm… Oh! What should we name this cake? One as delicious as this has to be be immortalized…”

“If I may,” said the former Count Ordelia, “Might I suggest ‘Princess Cake’? In honor of how it was made for the princess, and how much she loved it.”

“For me?!” asked an ecstatic Delia. “Yes, sweetie,” said Lysithea. “This cake shall be named for you! And all Derdriu must know!”

“Leave it to me, darling,” said the former Count Ordelia. “I shall post the recipe onto the Notice Board on the way home. Now if you would be so kind…”

“Yes,” said Byleth, as he handed the recipe to his father-in-law. “Thank you… and we hope to see you for many more of Delia’s birthdays.”

“Count on it!” said the former Countess Ordelia. As she said that, she thought back to how her granddaughter told her how grey her hair was, and how she responded that someday she, too, would have grey hair. _To think that I even HAVE a granddaughter to whom I can say those words… that I could enjoy her birthday with my own daughter, who wasn’t expected to live this long, but will now certainly reach my age and then some… I couldn’t have imagined this a decade ago! It all still feels like a dream to me… How lucky Lysithea was, to have met someone like Byleth. Someone who wouldn’t give up on her, or let her give up on herself._ “…Thank you, Byleth.”

Byleth blinked and blushed, confused by his mother-in-law’s sudden praise. “Oh? For what?”

“For everything… Now then, darling,” she said, turning to her husband, “Shall we depart?”

“Let’s,” said the former Count Ordelia. “Good night, everyone!”

“Do come back soon,” said Lysithea. “Mother… Father… We’ll always be glad to have you!”

After the two left, Felix stood up. “Well, then… I think it’s about time for me to hit the road as well.”

“Already?” asked Lysithea. “But we only just reunited,” lamented Byleth.

“Just as there are things Your Highnesses have to accomplish, there are still things I have to do. I’ve still got places to go, and… maybe a few more operas to see in Enbarr,” said Felix. “I’m not ready to settle down just yet.”

“I see,” said Byleth. “But when we've all done our parts in bringing Fódlan lasting peace, and you finally settle down… we hope you’ll do so here in Derdriu. That you’ll come back to us.”

“We’ll see,” said Felix. “I can’t make any promises." Upon thinking further of Enbarr, and of the superstar waiting for his next visit to her opera house, he remembered something about the old imperial capital's culinary tradition—something that the new royal family would surely appreciate. "By the way… maybe I can send some cake recipes your way from Enbarr. Their cakes are especially sweet.”

Upon hearing that, Delia’s face brightened up. “Sweet cake! Sweet cake!”

“Yes, cupcake,” said Lysithea. “Just hold tight and wait for Uncle Felix. Then you can have all the sweet cakes you want!”

“Yay!” Upon hearing the princess say that and seeing her stare straight into his eyes, Felix grinned. “Guess I really am obliged, then. How could I let down the princess when she’s giving me that look? …Anyway, Your Highnesses. By your leave.”

“Safe travels, Felix,” said Byleth. “Thank you for today,” said Lysithea. “Bye-bye, Uncle Felix!” said Delia.

\----------------------------------- 

Late that night, after tucking Delia into bed, Byleth and Lysithea walked out to the balcony. There, Byleth realized that his daughter had beaten him to the punch regarding something he should have asked Lysithea years ago. “…Lysithea…”

“Yes, my love?”

“I never asked before, but… what _was_ your original hair color? Delia inherited mine…”

Lysithea smiled as she took wrapped herself in Byleth’s arms, took his hands, and placed them on her stomach. “Maybe you’ll find out in… seven, eight moons!”


End file.
